MPs UNITE TO SUPPORT THE ANTHONY NOLAN TRUST'S DRIVE FOR MORE DONORS (Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats)

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Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats <montlibdems@gmail.com>

MPs UNITE TO SUPPORT THE ANTHONY NOLAN TRUST'S DRIVE FOR MORE DONORS

December 11, 2008 10:52 AM

Lembit Opik and David Knights Earlier this week, Lembit Öpik, Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire, joined colleagues at a special campaign reception for Anthony Nolan Trust's national media campaign to recruit more bone marrow donors. The Anthony Nolan Trust saves the lives of leukaemia sufferers by managing and recruiting new donors to the UK's most successful bone marrow register.

Each year over a thousand individuals in the UK search to find a suitable bone marrow donor to treat blood disorders such as leukaemia. But because individual genetic makeup is so varied, many patients are unable to find a suitable donor. Fewer than 30% of people needing bone marrow transplants find a match within their family, the rest depend on the generosity of strangers to provide life saving donations. Many searches for patients are unsuccessful - a bone marrow donor whose tissue type matches theirs could mean the difference between life and death: one person only could be the "unique match" necessary to save another's life.

Commenting on the campaign, Lembit Öpik said:

"I am a huge supporter of the charity's life saving work and I am well aware of the urgent need for more donors to join the Anthony Nolan Trust bone marrow register. It is vitally important that we all continue to strive to raise awareness about this and I encourage as many people as possible to join."

The Anthony Nolan Trust desperately needs more healthy people, particularly young men, aged 18 - 40 to join the register and potentially save a life. The charity is also urgently calling on people from ethnic minorities to join, as this group is currently under-represented on the register.

One of the problems the charity faces is a misunderstanding amongst the general public about what is involved in bone marrow donation. Bone marrow is donated via a short and simple procedure.

For more information about the bone marrow register, please visit www.anthonynolan.org.uk or call 020 7284 1234.

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Notes to editor:

1. For more information contact Alex Frazier on 07714 096 475.

2. As well as managing the bone marrow register, The Anthony Nolan Trust also undertakes vital research leading to improvements in the effectiveness and safety of bone marrow transplants.